Two Kerala tourists drown after slipping into Arunachal's frozen Sela Lake
The incident occurred in the afternoon when one member of the group slipped into the frozen lake and began to drown.
The incident occurred in the afternoon when one member of the group slipped into the frozen lake and began to drown.
The incident occurred in the afternoon when one member of the group slipped into the frozen lake and began to drown.
Itanagar: Two tourists from Kerala drowned after slipping into the frozen Sela Lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district on Friday. The body of one of the victims was recovered, while a search is underway for the other. The deceased was identified as B Prakash, 26, while Madhav M, 24, remains missing. They were part of a seven-member tourist group reportedly from Kollam and Malappuram that had reached Tawang via Guwahati, Superintendent of Police D W Thongon said.
“Today, the rescue operation had to be called off due to darkness. However, tomorrow we will resume the operation to retrieve the other body at 8 am with the help of the Army, SSB, and SDRF,” the SP told Arunachal Times on Friday.
“They had booked a mini bus and were travelling together. They had started their journey from Guwahati. At Sela, they stopped for sightseeing, during which the tragic incident took place,” he added.
The incident occurred in the afternoon when one member of the group slipped into the frozen lake and began to drown. The duo entered the lake in an attempt to rescue him. While the third tourist managed to come out safely, the two were swept under the icy water.
Thongon said the administration received information about the incident around 3 pm, following which a joint rescue operation was launched by the district police, central forces and the State Disaster Response Force.
Despite difficult weather conditions and poor visibility, one body was recovered. The search for the missing tourist had to be suspended due to darkness and harsh conditions and will resume on Saturday morning. The recovered body has been kept at the Jang Community Health Centre, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted on Saturday.
Police said warning signboards have been installed at Sela Lake and other tourist spots, advising visitors not to walk on frozen lakes. The district administration had also issued an advisory in December, cautioning tourists that frozen water bodies are unsafe as the ice may be unstable and unable to bear human weight. Located at an altitude of over 13,000 feet, Sela Lake is a popular tourist destination but poses serious risks during winter due to extreme cold and fragile ice cover.